Patterned Surface - Superhydrophilic Bumps and Superhydrophobic Flat Surface
Prototype Surface
An 8X8 cm aluminum sheet was used as a substrate, to be coated completely with IPP. PPy dropped at regular intervals as dots finishes the surface. The assembly thus effectively recreates the surface of the Stenocara’s back, at a larger scale.
Environmental Chamber
In order to carry forward experiments, it was deemed necessary to be able to control both the humidity and temperature of the environment in which the material was to be placed. A large glass container acts as an environmental chamber, assembled so that a hygrometer and thermometer can be measured readily. An insulating block in the container supports a glass vial, into which a funnel feeds. The prototype was placed atop the funnel, with the coated side facing downward into the funnel opening. A thin container holding a frozen block of ice was placed atop the uncoated side of the prototype, so as to more readily condense water.
Tests
A humid atmosphere was created through the addition of water into the container and subsequent heating. Water vapor condensed over the superhydrophilic regions of the prototype as predicted, and subsequently dropped to be collected into the vial. Twenty minutes were allowed to pass for each trial, and theamount of water collected was recorded. The experiment was repeated for several prototype surfaces prepared the same way.